Cooma Correctional Centre, an
Australian
minimum to medium prison for males, is located in
Cooma
Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina.
At the , Cooma had a ...
,
New South Wales
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, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. The centre is operated by
Corrective Services NSW
Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is a division of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. CSNSW is responsible for the state's prisons and a range of programs for managing offenders in ...
an
agency of the
Department of Attorney General and Justice of the
Government of New South Wales. The centre detains
sentenced prisoners and persons on
remand under New South Wales and/or
Commonwealth legislation.
In 1957, Cooma operated as the world's only prison specifically for detaining men convicted of homosexual offences.
Adjacent to the Correctional Centre is the Corrective Services NSW Museum, showcasing the history of NSW Corrections since 1788.
History
Construction of the Cooma Correctional Centre commenced in 1870 from local granite which was quarried from the hill where the Centre now stands. The Centre commenced operations on 1 November 1873 with 31 cells. In 1876 it was reduced to a Police Gaol and then a temporary Lunatic Asylum in 1877. The Centre closed temporarily in the early 1900s.
The Gaol reopened on 8 March 1957 and was again closed 10 July 1998. Cooma Correctional Centre reopened for the second time in November 2001 following a 20 per cent increase in the prison population between 1995 and 2001.
Facilities
The Centre is a minimum and medium security institution for inmates held in
protective custody
Protective custody (PC) is a type of imprisonment (or care) to protect a person from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many prison administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within pris ...
, such as former police officers,
prison officers and other high-profile inmates, who would be at risk in the general prison system.
Located one hour's drive south of
Canberra, from
Sydney and from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, the Centre accommodates 160 inmates.
[ There is approximately 53 staff, consisting of 31 custodial officers, 9 overseers and 13 support staff.
When not in use, the Cooma Correctional Centre has also been a storage space for the ]Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...
and for the Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains Scheme or Snowy scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The Scheme consists of sixteen major dams; nine power stations; two pumping stations; and of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts that ...
.
Notable prisoners
The following individuals have served all or part of their sentence at the Cooma Correctional Centre:
See also
* List of New South Wales prisons
References
External links
Cooma Correctional Centre websiteCorrective Services NSW Museum website
{{NewSouthWalesPrisons
Prisons in New South Wales
1873 establishments in Australia
Cooma